For parents hoping to introduce their youngsters to some of the joys of the Bard but who fear classic plays such as "Romeo and Juliet" are too grim for kids, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is bringing back "Shakespeare for Kids" for the second year.

In this year's edition, Team Shakespeare takes on the famous romantic tragedy playing simultaneously on DeSales University's main stage.

The team is joined by a robot to tell a G-rated version of the tale through singalongs, puppets, dancing and Shakespeare's language.

"It's as if Shakespeare had a TV show for kids," says Erin Hurley, the Shakespeare Festival's education director, who wrote and directed the production. "We're hoping it will encourage them that Shakespeare is interesting."

Actors Chelsea Anne Carle, Michael Gill and Andrew Kane, who make up Team Shakespeare, take children ages 4-10 on a fast-paced hourlong ride through "Romeo and Juliet."

"The three actors have a way with language that makes it accessible," Hurley says. "As soon as one of them puts a sock on their hand, it's all clear."

She says although the show addresses the deaths of the lead characters, there is no violence. In fact, Hurley says a rubber chicken is part of the re-enactment of the tragic scene.

"We explain it in the frame of why Shakespeare wrote some plays that are funny called comedies, and some that are sad and teach us about life that are called tragedies," Hurley says.

I’ve been meaning to post something about "Jack and the Beanstalk," a new family movie that was recently released on DVD. I haven’t seen it but Ashley posted on this blog last week and gave it a rave review.

“If you're looking for a good movie for the kids, the 2010 remake of Jack and the Beanstalk is a great one that demonstrates good values and morals. I watched it with my son and we both LOVED it,” she wrote.

The movie which stars an eclectic assortment of stars including Chevy Chase, Gilbert Gottfried, Katey Sagal of “Married With Children” and “Futurama” fame and Christopher Lloyd of “Back To The Future,” also features Bethlehem native and the hardest-working feature actor in the business Daniel Roebuck as the mayor. Roebuck is best know for his roles on “Matlock” and “Lost” but has appeared in other children’s movies including the animated “Christmas is Here again,” and the TV movie “Shredderman Rules” based on the kids' book series written by Wendelin Van Draanen.

This new Jack apparently takes a slightly skewed look at the traditional tale in in it, the cow is actually a computer; Jack has a sidekick in Gottfried as a life-size goose, and both are joined by a spunky girl on the quest for the magical harp.

A recent Time magazine article suggests that our typical three-month summer vacation from school is an outdated leftover from our agrarian past when kids were needed in the fields during growing season.

And educators say that many students lose some of what they learn over vacation, dubbing it the “brain drain” or “summer slide.” A study at Johns Hopkins University found that disadvantaged students who can’t afford enrichment camps, lost even more ground and by the end of elementary school, had fallen nearly three grade levels behind.

Kids in other countries have less vacation as well, leading experts to suggest American students will be less competitive in the gloabl marketplace.

I was talking to a woman from Japan who told me in her home country ,children had one month off from school a year. When her family moved to the United States, her daughter couldn’t believe she was off from school for three whole months.

The long break also is an issue for many working parents, who are forced to put their kids in camp programs or daycare or work out an arrangement with a babysitter or relative.

I do both. Some weeks I rely on family member to watch my son and other weeks I send him to theme camps, but they’re not cheap. It’s funny how the chatter among moms starts as the end of school looms. "What are you doing with your kids for the summer?" they ask each other.

Some education reformers have suggested lengthening the school year to make America's students more competitive. While I know from sending my son to a school with a school year longer than the typical 180 days, that I wasn’t crazy about losing some of our summer to school, I did find he learned more at the school. Unfortunately we had to leave the school because of transportation issues.

A friend worked for a school district outside the Lehigh Valley where they have a year-round schedule. The year wasn’t longer, but the breaks were shorter and there were more of them. Imagine 6 weeks in school and then 2 weeks off. That systems seems appealing with less time for students to forget material.

The hard part is we all grew up with summer vacation and there’s certainly a romantic aura about it, that peopel would not want to give up. But for many children, it’s a time of boredom, inactivity and isolation. Sure it give families a chance to take a long vacation, but many families can’t afford that in this economy, and kids end up spending their summer in front of the TV.

Last week I was on vacation and we did a lot of day trips. Thursday we were in Easton for the canal boat ride and I decided to take my son on the Ice Cream Ride sponsored by Genesis Bicycles of Easton. I’m glad we did. This extremely well-organized (and free) ride is perfect for families and do-able for most kids.

And the carrot for my son, who complained slightly at the few not-too-steep grades, was free ice cream at the the Purple Cow Creamery at the end!

The group of about 30 kids and adults snaked through Easton to the Hugh Moore Park and traveled a total of eight miles on a mostly macadamed path through the park. The scenery was great. Much of the ride is along the Lehigh River and Canal. We passed the two intrepid mules who had earlier pulled our canal boat and got hissed at by groups of geese with their goslings. A highlight for the kids is the echo bridge. As you ride under the bridge, everyone is encouraged to yell and hear the echoes of their voices.

We all wore provided brightly colored safety vests for visibility and there were three group leaders at the beginning, middle and end. There also were stops to let stragglers catch up. At the intersections of streets some of Easton’s finest helped with traffic control. The pace was comfortable for my son and he was proud to have completed his first longer ride.

The toughest part of the whole event was making a decision what kind of ice cream to order from the Purple Cow’s overwhelming selection.

The Ice Cream ride, which Genesis has been hosting for 15 years, is open to all ages. However bikes must be at least 20 inches and no training wheels are allowed. The ride is every Thursday through August weather permitting. Riders start gathering in the parking lot at 6 p.m. and we finished up between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Kids also can enter the coloring contest through Sept. 2 and win a Purple Cow sundae. The winning entry also will be featured on an Ice Cream Ride t-shirt for 2011.

Kids can learn about working together and parents can learn how to be better parents with storyteller turned motivational speaker Eva Grayzel during a free program today, through Project Easton, 320 Ferry St. Easton.

Grayzel who is an oral cancer survivor will present family storytelling including the tales of Mama Anasi, and The Rare Diamond from 6 to 6:20 p.m.

Afterwards, while the children are involved in other activities, Grayzel will talk to parents about parenting techniques including the use of praise from 6:20 to 7 p.m.

Grayzel wrote the children's book "You Are Not Alone: Families Touched By Cancer" based on her experiences with her own children who were 5 and 7 at the time. Information on the book is at Talk4Hope.com. Info: 610-258-1100 or emailaniver@projecteaston.org

Head lice - just saying the word makes my skin crawl and my head itch sympathetically. With back to school around the corner, lice will surely be raising their ugly little heads soon. But now officials are saying schools are overacting when they send kids home from school because of a lice infestation.

In the past many schools had a no-nit policy. As soon as lice were found on a child’s scalp they were sent home to have their hair scrubbed with heavy duty pesticides and then their hair shafts were carefully examined by the school nurse for any sign of the tiny eggs or nits before the child was allowed back into class.

Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report saying there is no reason for children to miss school because of lice and called for schools to throw out their no-nit policies.Inthe report the AAP says head lice cause no medical harm, are not a health hazard or a sign of poor hygiene and are not responsible for the spread of any disease.

“No healthy child should be excluded from or miss school because of head lice,” the report says. The report even says it is a rare that lice spread through children sharing combs or hats. In fact the report says “lice found on combs are likely to be injured or dead.”

In a recent Help for Families column on lice, Sue Madeja, nursing director for Bethlehem Health Bureau, agreed and said lice actually pose little health risk.“Lice don't live long off the host and are not real mobile,” she said. “They don't burrow into scalp and don't carry disease. The biggest risk is a possible secondary infection from scratching.”

She recommended checking a child's head on a regular basis, especially after he starts school or is together with other children.

She said there has been a trend in schools away from no-nit polices and sending children home who have a lice infestation. According to Medeja, both Allentown School District and Bethlehem Area School District discontinued their no-nit policy.

Doctors also are concerned that lice are becoming more resistant to shampoos containing pesticides and that some are not safe for children. The AAP recommends not using prescription lice shampoos with lindane because it can affect the nervous system and has caused seizures in children.

New treatments are out there. Last year the FDA approved the non-pesticide benzyl alcohol lotion 5% which works by suffocating lice. Another new non-pesticide product recommended by doctors is dimethicone, made from a synthetic lubricant that aids in manual removal of lice and nits with a small-toothed comb.

When my son puts on the Cartoon Network, I shudder. I guess I'm showing my age but it seems all the cartoons today look cheap and junky. I remember how well done the cartoons were that I watched growing up, including classics such as Bugs Bunny.

I was surprised to learn today is the 70th birthday of the wascally wabbit, who made his official debut July 27, 1940 in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon “A Wild Hare.” Here is that classic clip in honor of Bugs' big day.

If you haven't taken your kids to see Muhlenberg Summer Music Theater's "Schoolhouse Rock Live!" there's still a week left to get tickets and Muhlenberg has added an additional 10 a.m. Saturday performance and a unusual evening performance at 8:30 p.m. Friday, at which attendees are invited to wear pajamas and bring a bowl of cereal!

The production is a lot of fun, both for parents who recall the original Saturday morning television series as well as for the kids who are discovering the great songs of Schoolhouse Rock for the first time. See my review below. Also many of the songs such as "Three is a Magic Number," and "Conjunction Junction" are written by Upper Mount Bethel resident and jazz musician Bob Dorough.

All tickets are $12. Shows are at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday through FridayFor tickets call 484-664-3333 or go to www.summerbroadway.org.

The action explodes off the stage in the intimate Studio Theatre in "Schoolhouse Rock Live!," the children's production that Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre is presenting through July 30.

The six actors are superb physical comedians as well as singers and dancers. The show is visually engaging even for very young children, who may not yet appreciate the multiplication and civics lessons tucked in the music.

The musical show, based on the popular 1970s Saturday morning animated series, is an hour long. It features six songs written by Upper Mount Bethel Township jazz man Bob Dorough, who penned many songs for the long-running series.

This is an interactive show. Children can sit right up front on carpet squares, and they may get pulled into the show to hold a "Women Can Vote" sign for the gospel-tinged "Sufferin' Till Suffrage" or to stand in as a new mom and dad during "Three is a Magic Number." Cast members even hide among the audience during a game of hide and seek for the song "Ready or Not Here I Come," in which Felix Mayes as Joe leads the kids in learning how to use their fingers to multiply by 5.

Joshua Tewell is appealing as Tom the teacher, whose inner voices come to life out of his TV screen. Baby boomer parents will enjoy many of the retro references -- from the test pattern on the giant old-fashioned TV to clips of children's shows such as "The Flintstones" to Philly's "Captain Noah and His Magical Ark."

The show is basically a revue of 15 songs from the series, highlighting each of the five ensemble members on solos in different songs. The pacing moves quickly, keeping the attention of the young audience with humorous props, video accompaniments and even a little "snow" that falls on the audience.

Michael Bloom is outstanding as George, who perfectly personifies the title document in "Just a Bill," and displays an admirable falsetto in the doo-wop "A Victim of Gravity," originally sung by the Tokens. Elle Barks is Dori, and her physical acting makes her body seem to be made of rubber. She has a hilarious sight gag as one of the waiting bills that has "to go."

Mayes is an immediate hit when he comes out in clown-like conductor's pants in "Conjunction Junction." His energetic dancing in the crazy get-up has to be seen to be appreciated. He also has a brief but memorable bit as President Barack Obama.

Tewell, Mayes and Bloom also get their chance to show off as the three men do a peppy song-and-dance routine complete with hats, canes and roving spotlights for "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly: Get Your Adverbs Here."

The video screen in the center of the giant TV is used to good purpose, letting kids read along by following a bounding quill pen on the "The Preamble" to the Constitution and displaying an original animated video created by Muhlenberg for "Interplanet Janet."

Ending the show with a bang is "Interjections!," a high-energy number that gave the cast plenty of chances to demonstrate their comedic talents.

The interactivity is extended both before and after the show. Prior to the show, children receive a booklet with activities related to the educational content of the songs. Afterward, they can get autographs and pictures with the cast.

In today’s Help for Families column, the panel talks about ways to get children to eat healthier. We have taken some of their ideas to heart and are trying to involve my son more in food planning and preparation. One of my favorite tips was to let a child chose one thing from the produce aisle at the grocery store. We did that for the first time this week and to my surprise my son asked if he could get a cucumber. At the farmers’ market, I did the same thing and my son picked out apricots.

After the grcoery store, my son kept pesting me to let him eat his cucumber. So when we got home I washed it and sliced up a few slices for him. He pronounced it juicy as he munched on it. Later I made him a little salad of sliced carrots and cucumber.

That may not sound like anything too earth-shaking but it was a little lesson for me. Neither my hisband nor I care for cucumbers. Consequently, I never buy them and never use them in my cooking. I never even considered my son might like them. If I hadn’t decided to let him choose something from the produce aisle himself, I would have missed out on him eating another healthy food just because I don’t like it.

I should know better, too. When I was growing up, my mother did not like a lot of vegetables, so as a kid, pretty much the only vegetables I ate were corn, string beans, frozen spinach and iceberg lettuce. As an adult, I discovered I loved a lot of vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, and more.

Now at festival he recently attended, he planted lima beans in a cup. The beans are growing at an amazing rate to his delight, and this week we will transplant them outdoors. Limas are another of the few vegetables my husband and I don’t care for. Although it’s late and we may not get any actual beans off the plants, it’s given me the incentive to revisit the beans so at least my son can try them. After all, they may be his favorite vegetable and we'll never know if he doesn't try them!

In the death of the infant, the Nap Nanny had been placed in a crib, and the baby was found in the harness, but hanging over the side of the recliner and caught between it and the crib bumper. There are 22 known reports of infants hanging or falling out over the side of the Nap Nanny, even when the harness is being used.

The CPSC said the device can be dangerous if the Velcro straps inside the Nap Nanny cover are not properly attached to the D-rings located on the foam. A previous model of the Nap Nanny that was sold without D-rings also could present a safety hazard.

Also, if the device is inside a crib, play yard or other confined area, which is not recommended, an infant can become entrapped between the crib side and the Nap Nanny and suffocate.

The recalled Nap Nannys were sold at toy and children's stores from January 2009 through July 2010.Consumers with the older model without D-rings, should stop using the recliner immediately and contact the firm to receive an $80 coupon towards the purchase of a new Nap Nanny with free shipping.

Consumers with the newer model with D-rings, should stop using the product until they are able to visit the firm's website to obtain new product instructions and warnings. Consumers will also view a instructional video to help ensure the harness is properly fastened.

Could the chemicals on our food and in our houses be making our kids fat? The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity is suggesting that is a real possibility and scientists have dubbed the compounds “obesegens.”

The report said “fetal and infant exposure to such chemicals may result in more weight gain per food consumed and also possibly less weight loss per amount of energy expended.”

Even scarier, the report continues “the health effects of these chemicals during fetal and infant development may persist throughout life, long after the exposures occur.”

Yike! So where do these obesegens come from? The truth is they’re all around us. They are in the food our families eat, the water we drinks, the toys our kids play with and even in the air we breathe in our homes.

The good news is there are some things we can do to reduce our children’s (and our own) exposure.

* Look for organic foods that aresn’t sprayed with pesticides. Nine of the ten most common pesticides are EDCs and a study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that children who ate fruits and vegetables free of organophosphorous pesticides for just five days reduced the concentrations of those pesticides in their urine to undetectable levels.

Twelve fruits and vegetables that have been found to contain the highest amount of pesticides are peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, and pears.

We have been frequenting the local farmer's market and I think we are going to ramp that up a notch.

* Reduce your use of EDC-containing plastics for food and beverages. Obesegens such as Bisphenol A and Phthalates can be found in food packaging, plastic wraps, plastic water and baby bottles, plastic food containers and the linings of metal food and infant formula cans from which they can leach into food or drink, especially if the plastic is heated in the microwave or washed in a dishwasher.

According to the Environmental Working Group, canned chicken soup, infant formula, and ravioli have the higest BPA levels. In one study, after people drank out of a polycarbonate bottle (usually stamped with a 7 on the bottom) for just one week, their BPA levels jumped by nearly 70 percent.

I already checked the bottom of my son's water bottle to make sure it doesn't have a 7 and some of the other plastic items in my kitchen are getting pitched.

Enjoy the music of teen band Groovitude playing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. All day the zoo will offer special educational activities, face painting, and bracelet making for the kids. There also will be animal enrichment activities and keeper talks about the animals.

While you're there take a photo of one of the Zoo's animals and enter it in the zoo's ZooBASH Photo Contest.

Through Aug. 14, visitors can enter their favorite Zoo animal photo and the winners will be announced announced at ZooBASH on Oct. 23, at the 2 p.m. and 8:30m p.m. live animal show at Symphony Hall in Allentown. All finalists' photos will be included in a ZooBASH screen presentation on the stage.

Info is at www.lvzoo.org/pdf/Photo-Fundraising-WWofA.pdf

This week is also National Zookeepers Week and the zookeepers at Lehigh Valley Zoo have compiled a list of items to help enhance the lives of the
animals at the Zoo. You can help support Lehigh Valley Zoo and your
favorite animals by donating needed items or funds to purchase them,
and since the Zoo is a non-profit organization, your donation
is tax deductible.

The items include all sorts of things from dish detergent to bleach to dog toys to used coolers. See the complete list at www.lvzoo.org/wishlist.cfm.

And plan ahead for a Family Overnight Adventure at the Zoo 5:30 p.m.Aug. 21 to 9 a.m. Aug. 22. Uncover the mysteries of nocturnal species. Hike, eat, and sleep with
the Zoo animals as you explore the zoo after the sun goes down.
Activities include guided zoo tour and nature hike, owl calling, animal
encounters, snacks, breakfast, and feeding some of the Zoo animals
their morning hay. Bring your own tent and sleep outdoors or stay
inside the Zoo’s Bison Auditorium. The event is for ages 4 and up.

Ride Dorney’s Steel Force as many times as you can on July 29 and raise money for kids with life-threatening illnesses. The first 36 people to sign up will get to ride their own dedicated 36-passenger train all day.

“Coasting for Kids” is a special event raising money for children’s
charity Give Kids the World Village, that will take place at Dorney
Park in South Whitehall Township and 10 other Cedar Fair amusement
parks simultaneously.

Participants must raise at least $50 for Give Kids The World and they get complimentary
admission to Dorney, as well as a “Coasting For Kids” t-shirt and
unlimited rides on Steel Force. Participants are encouraged to raise money through pledges and the top three fundraisers at each park
will be eligible to win prizes valued up to $1200. The event also
includes complimentary breakfast and lunch.

Give Kids The World Village is a 70-acre, nonprofit resort in
Central Florida that provides free weeklong vacations to children with
life-threatening illnesses and their families.

“We are so excited to work with Cedar Fair,” said Pamela Landwirth,
Give Kids The World President. “We are looking forward to this
nationwide coaster marathon at all eleven locations this year. This
tremendous support for Give Kids The World will help us continue to
make dreams come true for children who need it most.”

To register go to www.firstgiving.com/gktw,
click register for an event and pick Dorney Park. All participants must
raise at least $50 by July 28 to take part in the event. Space is
limited.

I can’t say I’m regimented when it comes to enforcing bedtime deadlines.However, during most of the year, our ritual looks something like this: First comes the bath, then the pajamas, next the story and then it’s snooze time for my toddler.

Until summer.

How on earth do you tell a 4-year-old it is bedtime when it’s light out? The shining sun equates to pool time, play time, staying-up-late with her brothers time. By the time 9 p.m. rolls around, I’m too wiped to fight the bedtime battle. I am admitting my lack of discipline and courage at this “bewitching” hour.

These days she is fighting the bath because she knows what comes next. Now, of course, I don’t give in to her every whim; however, this summer light business is wearing me out – especially since she thinks nighttime is playtime.

Middle
school campers at DaVinci Science Center in Allentown are taking on a
real life
m problem that is being tackled by the world's leading
scientists when they try to come up with a solution on how to clean up
an aquatic oil spill.

The
fifth,
sixth, and seventh graders in the Chemical Excitement morning
camp session will work on the challenge taken straight from the
headlines at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The Oil Spill Challenge project created
in response to the recent
Gulf of Mexico oil spill will give the students the chance to tackle
the problemthat is threatening ecosystems and covering animals in oil.

After discussing the Gulf of Mexico spill, the students will
be given small “oceans” of water in which cooking oil has been spilled.
The students also will be given different materials and asked to devise
methods for extracting the oil. The young scientists will encounter the
same type of challenges faced by their adult counterparts along the way.

The
science center debuted the Oil Spill Challenge last week during a camp
at which the students concluded feathers were the most effective method
to clean up oil.

“We strive to incorporate current science news and events into our
programming whenever possible,” says Karen Knecht, the Da Vinci Science
Center’s education programs manager. “The recent oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico was an event that most students are aware of and had a lot of
questions about. We want to help them understand and find answers to
their questions by creating an oil spill model.

“Through
this hands-on experience, we hope they also learn about how the
scientific process can be used to create solutions to similar
real-world problems.”

Information about DaVinci Science Center’s summer camps through Aug. 27 are at
www.davinci-center.org.

Don’t let the summer go by without taking the kids to see “Robin Hood” at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University.

DeSales recently released a trailer of the show so you can see some of the fun in store in the lively new adaptation that combines adventure with a sense of humor. The folklore hero and his band of Merry Men meet Maid Marian and tangle with the Sheriff of Nottingham in the Sherwood Forest. See my review of the show below.

As an added bonus six-time Emmy Award winner Bob Phillips, who designed for "Sesame Street," created the set for the intimate Schubert Theatre and Rick Sordelet, one of the world's leading fight directors for Broadway choreographed the fights. Kids can sit on the carpet at the edge of the stage and be right in the center of all the action.

The action rarely stops in the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's energetic new children's show "Robin Hood," running through Aug. 7 in the Schubert Theatre of DeSales University's Labuda Center.

Highlights are sword fights and an archery contest choreographed by Broadway fight director Rick Sordelet. Children are told at the beginning of the show that none of the fighting is real or dangerous. But don't think this production of the classic story is all serious swordplay.

In one of the funniest scenes, Robin and his Merry Men overcome the Sheriff of Nottingham's bumbling henchmen in an all-out battle with a baguette and several links of sausages.

And while little boys will enjoy the fight scenes, young girls will relate to a feisty Maid Marian played by Melissa Egan. This Marian is a free-thinking modern girl who wants more from life than babies and marriage to a knight, and shows she is competent and more than a match for the men.

Jacob Dresch as Robin is all courtliness and chivalry. No robber he, Dresch's Robin is not so much an idle adventurer as a crusader righting wrongs. Studied and thoughtful, he is drawn to Marian more for her intelligence and bravery than for her beauty.

As usual, there are plenty of jokes and wordplay that will probably be appreciated more by parents than the little ones, including one that referenced 1960s-era sitcom "The Flying Nun."

Bob Phillips, a designer for "Sesame Street," has created a creative two-story set with sliding panels that transforms the stage from a forest to a chapel to a dungeon.

As Will Scarlett, Dan Bound-Black employs a hilarious Scottish accent as he provides the storyline that starts all the fun. Friar Tuck is played by James Nester as a cherubic man of God able to keep his presence of mind in the most dire of circumstances. And as Little John, Chris Stevens' monumental cowlick draws a laugh all on its own.

Katie Wexler is pure comedic joy as Marian's reluctant friend and attendant Celia who gets carried along in the adventure, dragging her feet all the way.

The final scene in the dungeon when Robin and Marian are captured may be a little intense for youngest kids.

The classic tale of Don Quixote may not seem like an obvious subject for a play for children. But done with a mix of puppets and live actors who ride the craziest horses you might ever see, it becomes a family-friendly romp.

Under the deft hands of the ensemble at Touchstone Theatre, puppets, both large and small, bring Miguel de Cervantes' story of Don Quixote and his faithful squire Sancho to life in both English and Spanish.Don Quixote: Comienza La Aventura / The Adventure Begins features Touchstone Theatre's trademark physical theatre, puppetry, and audience participation, and highlights the comic elements of the tale, especially through the hapless Sancho with broad comedy and a fast moving plot.

Through the Bethlehem Department of Parks and Recreation, families can enjoy a free performance of this classic tale at 4 p.m. today July 16 at Bethlehem’s Yosko Park, 6th & Atlantic Sts.

The hourlong show also will be presented at 11 a.m. next Friday July 23 at the Southside Boys & Girls Club, 115 East 4th St., Bethlehem. The performance is recommended to ages 5-10.

From the moment we entered Muhlenberg’s Baker Theatre to see “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” my third grade son was engaged - even before the show started.

The stage set is set up like a typical classroom and my son delightedly noted the food pyramid chart, bus safety poster and fire drill rules posted on the wall, as well as the championship banners for absurd sports including solo synchronized swimming.

The new musical in Muhlenberg’s Summer Music Theatre is a hilarious outing for families with slightly older kids, who can handle some adolescent content – especially if your kid likes wordplay, as mine does. My son laughed hysterically at some of the humorous definitions, and usages of the spelling words.

Although the plot is about a group of middle school spellers, the roles are played by adults and parents should be aware that there are some plot points that may make them squirm with younger children.

The biggest caveat for parents revolves around the student Chip Tolentino played by Joe Spiotta. In one scene he is fantasizing about a girl when it is his turn to spell, and he doesn’t want to stand up in front of the audience because of a typical physical manifestation that afflicts many hot-blooded adolescent boys. And then to make matters worse the word he gets to spell is the double-entendre of sorts - tittup (to prance or caper). He then sings about the whole embarrassing situation in very frank language.

Other issues are presented with equally frank language. Anna Gothard plays speller Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre who has two dads and talks about supporting gay rights, another character is noted to be a “virgin.” There also is some language to be aware of. The word “retarded” (which my son had never heard before) is used and in the song “Pandemonium” the cast several times yells out “Godammit.” There is also an appearance by “Jesus” in answer to a student’s prayer.

Since these are middle school kids, some of the humor is typically low brow, which, of course, kids love.A running gag revolves around the mispronunciation of the name of the impossibly nerdy William Barfee played by Gabriel Martinez. He also has one of the best songs in the show “Magic Foot” another funny bit.

The show provides lots of fodder for discussion. The characters are over-the-top stereotypes and come from dysfunctional homes that include issues such as absentee parents, verbal abuse, cheating and being pressured to win. Despite this, the material is not heavy handed in any way, and the kid’s individual issues are presented with humor, as well as with poignancy.

My son really anjoyed the show and got very involved in the storyline to the point of being disappointed when his favorite character didn’t win. The show is presented without an intermission and lasts about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Muhlenberg is recommending age 10 and up and that seems pretty on target.t for the most part. As always parents are always the ebst judge of their own child.

Muhlenberg is offering a special deal for parents for the Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. One child gets a free ticket for each adult ticket purchased.

I just got an e-mail that says research shows that delaying potty training could cause health problems such as urinary tract infections and constipation in children.

It’s hard to imagine how potty-training at 4 would cause physical problems, but it’s a fact that children are being trained later on an average.

Before the advent of disposable diapers, nearly 90 percent of children were potty trained before they were 2 years old. In fact one study says in 1957, 92 percent of children were toilet trained by 18 months.The invention of disposable diapers in 1961 changed all that. Since then the age has been inching older.According to one study, today 40 percent of children are still not toilet training by their third birthday and some not even by their fourth birthday. The average age of potty-training is 37 months.

And the multibillion dollar diaper industry encourages the trend. In the early 1990s, diaper manufacturers started marketing pull-ups for toddlers to extend the diaper-buying window. It worked. Pull-ups rack up $545 million in sales annually. Now Pampers Pull-ups are available in Toy Story 3 designs as well as Disney Princesses to appeal to the toddler crowd. They go up to size 7 for children who weigh 41 pounds or more.

Parenting expert John Rosemond compares potty training a child to housebreaking a puppy and argues it’s easier training a younger child than a toddler. Rosemond doesn’t agree with philosophies that say you should leave the timing of toilet training up to the child.

The University of Michigan says the physical maturity and readiness skills needed for successful toilet learning appear at the same time in girls and boys-between 18 and 30 months of age.

On the Pampers site, they have an experts section and one of their experts recalls her mother insisted she had toilet trained her kids at 14 and 18 months. The expert suggests that her mother’s story is “a little white lie” and goes on to say “potty training experts now believe that parents should look for signs of readiness before starting potty training, because, ultimately, our children are in charge of their own bodies.”

Philadelphia's Franklin Institute will participate in the Target Arts & Wonder event, by offering free admission to families for two hours, giving them access to the museum's interactive exhibitions, as well as science games and live demonstrations from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday July 18.

Target has partnered with more than 80 cultural and art institutions in 30 cities across the country to launch the Target Arts & Wonder Free Family Event, offering free admission to museums and galleries. The events also includes a number of New York City museums including the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Brooklyn Museum and Museum of Modern Art which opens for free at certain times this weekend.

Target also supports the arts year-round by sponsoring 2,200 free events and reduced-price performances at more than 120 museums and cultural organizations across the country.

In Philadelphia, families can visit the Franklin Institute for free from 5 to 8 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month as part of Target Community Night. The next event is Juy 28.

Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall also holds Target First Wednesdays with $2 admission from 5 to 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. The next event is Aug. 4. Both programs continue through March 2011.

Riegelsville children's musician Daria is holding a contest that encourages families to make beautiful music together on her award-winning website.

In “My Family Makes Music Contest,” musical kids can win one of dozens of prizes include a real dulcimer, a shekere from Ghana, guiros from Vietnam, as well as cd's, t-shirts and a make-your-own maracas kit.

For the contest which runs through Aug. 31, you can make your own instrument, jam on instruments you already have or form your own drum circle. Take a picture of you and your family having fun playing music and e-mail it to Daria at dariamusic@yahoo.com.

You can make some new instruments to inspire your summertime jam. On Daria’s web site, you can find directions to make homemade didgeridoo’s, box drums, guiros and more.

“One bright side of a difficult economy is that many families are reverting to homegrown fun and creating their own, games, crafts and activities,” says Daria. “Although everyone agrees that music is enriching and great for childrens' minds and bodies; people are really discovering how music can also be a bonding experience, bringing all ages together and making some lasting and lovely family memories.”

Daria will give away some smaller prizes before August 31 and pick the grand prize winners on Sept. 1. They will be notified by e-mail. Check for photos of entries and updates on Daria’ Facebook page.

Daria's website won a 2009 Parent's Choice Award as a best place for kids to learn about world music on the web. Daria also has released 5 world music CDs including the Grammy-nominated “Grandchildren’s Delight.”

Daria, who travels around the world performing her music, also is helping to find a way to support some of the communities she visits, many of which deal with crushing economic conditions such as the San Juan de Miraflores barrio in Lima, Peru, inner city schools in Philadelphia and several of the Native American reservations where she actively does culture exchanges. Pictures from many of these projects can be seen on her website.

An 18-year old from Nazareth has won a $1,000 scholarship for his work building a bird sanctuary at a Bushkill Township bed and breakfast for families with a child who has cancer.

Michael Flesher built the one-acre bird santuary for children to enjoy while visiting the Angel 34 Bed and Breakfast which offers free vacations for families with a critically ill child. The resort was opened by Doug and Linda Sheriff, whose 15-year-old daughter Nicole died of a rare form of cancer in 2004.

Michael, a 2010 Nazareth High school graduate, who did the project as his Eagle scout project with Troop 44 from Bushkill Township Fire Company, planted 200 native trees and flowers to attract bird, installed birdhouses, bat houses and two solar powered bird baths. He also collected 800 videos. Flesher received the award through the 2010 Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program which recognizes young people who are trying to make their community a better place.

Flesher was one of 200 youths nationwide chosen out of 27,000 nominees. Winners were chosen based on initiative, creativity, leadership and generosity. Flesher and the other winners qualify for one of Kohl's 10 national $10,000 scholarships, which will be announced at the end of July. Kohl’s also will donate $1,000 to a nonprofit organization on each winner's behalf.

The Sheriffs opened the bed and breakfast in memory of Nicole, a field hockey and basketball player who wore number 34. For information on the retreat go the Angel 34 website.

It’s the time of year for fireplies. We love to go outside to watch the flashing insects fill our yard. I have fond memories of chasing fireflies on summer evenings when I was a kid. I remember the delight of catching one in my hand and watching it crawl on my skin before it flew away. Now my son enjoys chasing the little lightening bugs as well. But some scientists are concerned that fireflies are disappearing from our landscape. They think that loss of habitat, use of pesticides and light pollution are affecting the bugs' population.

Through the National Children's Museum and the Museum of Science in Boston, kids can take part in a national firefly study to help scientists learn important information that could help about these delightful little bugs. Kids can become “citizen scientists” and count the fireflies in their own yard and record details about the bugs, such as how many time they flash and the pattern of their flashes, and then input the information online.

National Chrildren’s Museum kicked off Ready, Set, Glow!, a kid-friendly website where kids can download the data sheet as well as activity sheets. Kids can play a game with Flicker the Firefly, helping him find his mate, learn the basics of firefly behavior and play word-search games. Parents also can learn tips for engaging kids in science.

To sign-up for the Firefly Watch Project, visit the Museum of Science Boston. There families can register their "habitat," learn more about the science behind the project, and upload their gathered firefly data.NCM and MOS will feed the firefly-tracking data to partner-researchers from Tufts University and Fitchburg State College as part of a larger, multi-year entomological research project led by the institutions. Through Ready, Set, Glow!, the museum hope to learn more about the geographic distribution of fireflies and their activity during the summer season.

Ready, Set, Glow! is one of a series of "kid citizen science" projects that NCM has conducted at its Launch Zone over the past year. Others include the Lost LadyBug Project and Project FeederWatch, both led through a collaboration with Cornell University. NCM also conducted a Monarch Watch program to commemorate Earth Day.

What happens when middle school teachers from New Jersey who want to turn kids onto math get a hold of instruments? You get 2+1 Math Rocks, a math-centric band that plays at 3:30 p.m. Sunday as part of Easton’s Heritage Day

Gary Hank and Anne Bercaw, sixth grade teachers at Lopatcong Middle School, turn dry math facts such as prime numbers, dividing fractions and recognizing angles into energetic songs to tunes that most parents will probably recognize, from the Beatles to Devo.

Hank, a math teacher often brought his guitar to class to inspire the kids. His song about fractions set to the tune of the Beatles' “Lady Madonna” became a big hit with the kids and led to the creations of 2 + 1.The groups CD “Squared” covers math concepts that span a wide range of ages and go from number lines and skip counting to prime factors and geometry.

"When I was a kid I hated math," Hank says. "So I put music to it and kids respond."

We saw the group performing at Mayfair and my son, an admitted math geek, loved their songs. I must admit that I will never be able to hear the Tommy Tutone hit "867-5309/Jenny” without thing of 2 + 1’s version about Pi to the fifth place - 3.14159.

Other kid-friendly acts during Heritage Day at the Young Patriot's Stage located at 2nd & Northampton Street are Mock Turtle Marionettes at 11 a.m.; VIP Story Time at 1:30 p.m. and Balloons the Clown at 2 p.m..

My son is a fanatic for Silly Bandz. He begs for the stretchy shaped bracelets wherever we go. It's a little daunting the variety of shapes available and some I find a little questionable. I blogged before about the underwear pack. Not sure I want my son to be wearing bracelets shaped like bras and briefs around his wrist.

I didn't mind when he got the music and rock band shaped silly bandz - hey I want to support his interest in music. I admit I did cave in and let him get the fast food shapes, although his silly bandz shaped like a container of French fries or a soda with a straw make me cringe a little.

But recently I let him get a pack of the new phrases. Most of them were fine. "I Love You" "Peace" "Cool" "XOXO" "Fun" are all concepts I wholeheartedly support. Then there is the text-centric phrases. He doesn't yet text but he knows the lingo. "LOL" (Laughing Out Loud); "BFF" (Best Friends Forever) and "BRB" (Be Right Back) - ok, those are harmless.

But then there was "Hot" and "Wild" not exactly ideal for a second grader.

But the band that really got me was "CYA" (Cover Your A**) not an appropriate sentiment in any way for a young child. Not only is it an abbreviation for a curse word that would get him in trouble if he said it at school, but the whole phrase means to try to get away with something. He didn't know what it meant so I explained it to him and told him he was not allowed to wear it which of course made him fascinated with the phrase.

It seems like one of the side effects of the proliferation of abbreviations is that it makes it easier and seemingly more benign to use curse words. CYA is a commonly used phrase and LMAO is along the same lines. Even WTF is thrown about pretty frequently even though it is an abbreviation for one of the most offensive curse words.

I suppose I should be happy that WTF didn't make it into the Silly Bandz. One other band - TTYL - I didn't know and had to look it up before I'd let him wear it. Fortunately is stands for the harmless Talk To You Later. As with everything parents need to be informed consumers.

Beat a Pueblo drum, shake a shékere and scrape a guiro with world musician Daria at the Please Touch Museum's first World Music Festival Friday through Sunday.

Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou, a children's musician from Riegelsville, Bucks County, will perform with her collection of exotic instruments at noon and 2 p.m. Friday as the Philadelphia hands-on museum presents three days of global music and other related activities.

Daria, whose 2008 CD "Grandchildren's Delight" was nominated for a Grammy, uses multicultural music to teach children about tolerance. She will perform in the city park area in the museum.

On Saturday the UCC Royal Brass Band will bring New Orleans jazz, rhythm and blues and pop music to the museum's Hamilton Hall at noon and 2 p.m.

The West Philadelphia Orchestra will play Eastern European folk music at noon and 2 p.m. Sunday in Hamilton Hall. The orchestra will blend with voices from the West Philadelphia community.

Children also try instruments, including the Irish bodhran, the polka accordion, hand drums and Caribbean steel pans. There will also be music-themed story times on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.Please Touch Museum is open 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday Admission is $15. Info: 215-581-3181, or go to www.pleasetouchmuseum.org.

IN MOTION AT DA VINCI Get moving at the Da Vinci Science Center this weekend. Learn how to toss pizza, ride in a bike rodeo and experience circuit training during special events that are part of Cool Moves, the center's new exhibit celebrating motion.

Cool Moves has 14 hands-on experiences that show different types of movement from how animals move to how music makes sound by vibration.

Take the Body Moves challenge with training sessions at 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. sessions Thursday and next Thursday, July 22 and 29. Professionals will show kids ages 12 and under how much fun moving their body can be when they do it correctly. Kids earn a chance to win luxury box tickets for a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game each time they attend. Kids who complete the Challenge Course finale 12:30-2:30 p.m. Aug. 5 will earn entry into a second drawing for the IronPigs tickets.

On Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., children can learn to toss a pizza from the pros. On Saturday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. they can bring their bikes to center for safety checks, get a free ID kit and ride in a bike rodeo.The Cool Moves Activity Cart will allow children to create their own moving sounds and artwork. The cart will be on the center's exhibit floor 1-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.Cool Moves continues through Sept. 6.

TICKETS FOR THOMAS FRIDAY Tickets are going fast for the most popular times for Day Out With Thomas at Delaware River Railroad, 99 Elizabeth St., Phillipsburg.

Most rides are sold out for rides with Thomas The Tank Engine Friday through Sunday to celebrate the beloved blue engine's 65th birthday party, but some tickets still remain for Friday.

During the event, children and their families can ride behind a 15-ton replica of Thomas, the star of the children's TV series "Thomas & Friends."

Tickets include a 25-minute ride along the Delaware River behind the iconic engine and a chance to meet and get their picture taken with Thomas character Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway on the Island of Sodor. Kids also can get temporary tattoos of Island of Sodor residents and watch Thomas videos.

Visit the Imagination Station where children can build with Mega Bloks and do Thomas-related arts and crafts. Also included is storytelling, live music, a hay bale maze, a model train exhibit, a bouncy castle, a petting zoo and a special display celebrating 65 years of the first Thomas book. There will be food for sale at the site. Parking is free and free buses will run from three parking lots continuously.

The train pulled by Thomas leaves hourly 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $18 per person for ages 2 and up. Info: 866-468-7630, or www.877trainride.com.

CHILDREN’S CONCERT IN WEST PARKThe Marine Band of Allentown will present a free concert for children at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in West Park, 16th & Linden Sts., Allentown.

The program will include music from Walt Disney Overture, Aladdin, At The Circus - a musical description

of the circus with guest storyteller Mayor Ed Pawlowski; Barnum and Bailey's Favorites; The Wizard of Oz, Disney Around the World, The Ballad of Davy Crockett and The Incredibles.

Come Back to Sorrento will feature 11-year old trumpeter Joshua Weckerly from Hatfield. The seventh grader from Penndale Middle School is the grandson of Raymond S. Becker, Jr., Conductor Emeritus of the Marine Band of Allentown. Joshua also will play on “This Little Light of Mine.”

For the finale, children will be able to make a tambourine during the concert and then join the band on stage for “Stars and Stripes Forever.”Other activities will include balloon animals and refreshments.

Hear excerpts from a new fantasy book for middle grade readers about a 10-year-old inventor and a magic dragon Saturday.

Trexlertown resident Michele Mack will do a reading from “Henry Fickle and the Magic Dragon of Pennsylvania,” at 1 p.m. and sign copies at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs' Pigapalooza Fan Fest at Coca-Cola Park, Allentown.

Mack tried more than 30 publishers without success after she wrote her first book about the youthful inventor, so she started her own publishing company, The Sorcerer's Press. It recently released the third Henry Fickle book. The new book for ages 10 and up follows the adventures of the boy and his dragon as they fly over Lehigh Valley places including Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom, Crystal Cave, Hawk Mountain, Hershey's Chocolate World and Harrisburg.

Mack Mack's first two books, "Henry Fickle and the Secret Laboratory" and "Henry Fickle and the Time Capsule," are part of a planned trilogy. The third in the series will be released by the end of the year. Her new book is a stand-alone story.

The book costs $8.95 and is available at Moravian Book Shop, Ice Cream World in South Whitehall Township and online at www.henryfickle.net. Copies will be available at the Pigapalooza.

Congratulations everyone who voted for the Allentown YMCA in the national Energizer Battery video contest.

The YMCA will get a donation of $3,200 from Energizer based on the votes for the video made by Allentown siblings Ashley Williams, 6, and Kaley Rehrig, 3, called "Mommy! We Need Batteries." The video was one of ten finalists in the Energizer Kids Take Charge contest and Ashley and Kaley's cute video about running out of batteries was the top vote-getter. Check out the final results here.

The girls' mom Karon Rehrig said the family chose to raise funds for the Y where the kids take soccer, swimming and dance.

"My little one thinks the Y is the greatest thing on earth," Karon says . "It has made her feel so important. They went to the Y on a scholarship and those are only available if they get enough money."

Finalists were selected based on their entry’s originality, humor and alignment with the theme.

Your vote could earn your school half a million dollars in a new online contest from Kohl's Cares for Kids.Kohl's Department Storeswill give $500,000 to 20 schools each for a total of $10 million, in honor of the 10th anniversary of Kohl's Cares which supports children's health and education.

Both public, private and charter schools for gardes kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible. schools can use the fund however they want whether starting an art program, creating a new computer lab or saving a music program. Today through September 3, go to www.facebook.com/kohls to become a Kohl’s Facebook fan and vote for your school. You also must submit an idea for how your school could spend the money.

The $10 million donation comes from the Kohl's Cares cause merchandise program, which sells stuffed toys and books, and donates the profit to benefit children's health and education initiatives nationwide. Over the past 10 years, the Kohl's Cares cause merchandise program has raised more than $150 million for children's initiatives.

There is a maximum of five votes per person for any individual school. The top 20 vote-getting schools will win $500,000 each and will be announced in late September.

MomsRising, a grass-roots organization that supports family friendly policy, last week launched a series of online video chats during which senators answer questions about health care reform and explain how health reform will benefit moms and kids. The questions come from parents across the country who are invited to submit questions through the website. If you have a question, you can submit it here.

Some questions that have been asked include: “Is there anything in health reform to promote breastfeeding?” “Do my older children need to be enrolled in school to benefit from new provisions allowing parents to keep up to 26-year-old children on their health insurance policies?” “How will health reform help me keep health coverage for my daughter who has special needs even if I lose my job?”

I have written about MomsRising in the past. They support a local women named Kiki Peppard who has been trying to get Pennsylvania to outlaw “maternal profiling” in which women are discriminated against in the job market because they have children, for more than a decade. Sadly, she is still fighting for the law.

But the group also supports other family issues including child care, family leave and breastfeeding support. The group’s web site was named one of the "Top 100 Websites For Women" in 2010 by Forbes.com.

On the website currently there are video chats by senators Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tom Udall of New Mexico. "Moms not only have their own unique health care needs, but very often, they make the health care decisions for their families," said Menendez.

The site also is directing moms to anew web site from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where families can compare insurance plans, and determine eligibility for public programs like Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Ride Dorney’s Steel Force as many times as you can on July 29 and raise money for kids with life-threatening illnesses.

“Coasting for Kids” is a special event raising money for children’s charity Give Kids the World Village, that will take place at Dorney Park in South Whitehall Township and 10 other Cedar Fair amusement parks simultaneously.

Raise at least $50 for Give Kids The World and get complimentary admission to Dorney, as well as a “Coasting For Kids” t-shirt and unlimited rides on Steel Force. The top three fundraisers at each park also will get prizes.

Give Kids The World Village is a 70-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides free weeklong vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

“We are so excited to work with Cedar Fair,” said Pamela Landwirth, Give Kids The World President. “We are looking forward to this nationwide coaster marathon at all eleven locations this year. This tremendous support for Give Kids The World will help us continue to make dreams come true for children who need it most.”

To register go to www.firstgiving.com/gktw, click register for an event and pick Dorney Park. All participants must raise at least $50 by July 28 to take part in the event. Space is limited.

Can your kids jump like a kangaroo or swim like an otter? Pre-registration is required for all programs.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo in Schnecksville invites families to compete in their animal skills at the Zoomazing Race from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. The program for adults and children of all ages in an evening scavenger hunt on the zoo grounds. Families will learn interesting facts about animals from all over the world and win prizes. Enjoy snacks and refreshments around a bonfire after the race. The cost is $15 for a family of two for members and $20 for non-members. Each additional participant is $5.

For many the throught of BB guns and kids brings to mind the movie “A Christmas Story” and nine-year-old Ralphie’s passionate desire for an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle, as well as his mother’s memorable mantra “You’ll shoot your eye out.”

But BB guns are not toys. And many people still treat them as such. Thing have changed since the time of the 1940s-era flick. The newer air rifles are more powerful and more accurate — and more dangerous. The recent death of a Lower Nazareth teen sadly shows how deadly the guns can be.

At what age are children responsible to handle a potentially deadly weapon? Children under age 18 can’t legally buy the guns but are allowed to have them in their possession and fire them under the supervision of a parent according to PA law. It is recommended that children under the age of 16 not fire high velocity air guns.

There is plenty of reason for caution. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006, 25,580 people were injured by the guns, including 17,325 children. Over a ten-year period air rifles caused 40 deaths. And 3.2 million BB or pellet guns are sold each year.

I am no big fan of the guns. I know personally how dangerous they can be in the hands of an irresponsible person. We nearly lost our pet cat when he was shot by someone with a pellet gun on our property, and needed emergency surgery to have it removed from his abdomen.

I think parents who choose to give their children a BB gun need to make safety their number one concern and teach their kids it is not a toy, but a dangerous weapon that needs to be used responsibly.

• Treat all guns as though they are loaded. Never assume that a gun is not loaded.• Never point your BB gun at anyone. It does not matter if it is not loaded. • Do not fire at a target unless you know everything surrounding the target. Do not shoot if there is a potential that someone is behind or on the sides of the target.• Keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to fire.• Always wear protective eyewear. • Realize that BBs can ricochet. Be aware of the type of surface you are shooting at. BBs ricochet more easily off of certain surfaces. Flat surfaces, hard surfaces, and the water all surfaces that BBs may ricochet off of. Also make sure that the target is not at an angle.• Start out shooting at a shooting range. It is a safe place to learn how to shoot.

Incluzion Bandz are a new version of the kiddie craze for the plastic wrist bands that will raise money for Mikayla’s Voice, a new foundation started by Lower Nazareth Township mom Kimberley Resh.

The bandz will be available from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday July 2 at The Banana Factory during First Friday. There also will be a ladybug craft project for sale to benefit the organization.

Resh recently started Mikayla’s Voice to spread the message of inclusion. She is the mother of 15-year-old Mikayla, who can't speak because she has cerebral palsy and brain damage. Mikayla is an eighth-grader who attends classes at Nazareth Area Middle School.

The specially made bracelets are called Mikayla's Mystery Incluzion Bandz and there are two different 12-piece packs.

One pack contain a dozen ladybugs which is the logo for Mikayla’s Voice. Most are plain red but there will be 3 or 4 that are different glow-in-the-dark colors. Resh says the glow-in-the-dark bandz “symbolize our differences that make us shine.” The other pack contains mostly three-leaf clovers and 3 or 4 glow-in-the-dark four-leaf clovers. Each packs cost $4.

A total of 2,500 packs of the bandz have been made. In one pack of each style there will be a special glow-in-the dark red lady bug. The child who find the special lady bug will win four tickets donated by Dorney Park.

Resh says wearing all the different bandz together will send a message of inclusion. She notes the packages were assembled by Good Shepherd Work Services, which employ workers with disabilities in keeping with the foundation’s message. Resh says they plan to sell the bandz at Musikfest as well.

I blogged last week about Muhlenberg’s Summer Music Theater’s playful production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular comic operetta “The Mikado.” The show is very family-friendly and a perfect first G&S experience for young theater-goers.

Now Muhlenberg has announced a special deal for families for the show’s final performance day Saturday July 3.

Childrens and students get one free ticket for each accompanying adult to the 2 and 8 p.m. shows Saturday. Adult tickets are $34.

You may be surprised how many of the songs in the show your kids recognize. The music or variations of it have been featured in cartoons, TV and movies from “The Muppets” to “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody.”

The production is colorful and filled with eye-catching costumes and sets. The show even incorporates shadow puppets in the pseudo-Japanese world that is created for the show.

Ok this one totally floors me. I went through a ton of disposable diapers after my son was born and they cost a fortune. I gritted my teeth each time I had to throw another bundle of Pampers into my cart at the grocery store. Statistics show the average child will use more than 2,700 diapers in the first year, costing between $468 and $1,152 annually. So the concept of paying even more just to have a designer pattern on my kid’s rear-end is alien to me.

However, obviously, there is a market for this, because Pampers has just announced it will begin selling high-end designer disposable diapers at Target.

Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley who does women's wear, shoes, handbags, eyewear, belts, dishes, legwear, hats, color cosmetics, and fragrance, now is branching into Pampers. Rowley has designed 11 patterns including pastels, stripes, madras and ruffles. The designer diapers will be sold through the summer, and possibly after, depending on how well they sell.

Of course, the fancy pants will be more expensive. A pack of about two dozen of the toddler-size diapers will have a suggested retail price of $15.99, about $6 above plainer versions.

Pampers is following in Huggies footsteps who last month launched a disposable diaper that looks like jeans. Huggies Jeans Diapers have been a hit in more than 20 countries including Russia, South Korea, Mexico and Singapore. Not as pricey as The Rowley Pampers, the jeans diapers retail for $13.49 a pack.

I thought it was bad enough that a designer stroller can set you back a cool grand and a carved sleigh crib will cost more than $1,500. But diapers? Think about their function. Do we really need designs for that?

Tickets are going fast for the most popular times for Day Out With Thomas at Delaware River Railroad, 99 Elizabeth St., Phillipsburg, starting this weekend.

Join Thomas The Tank Engine Friday July 2 through Sunday July 4 and July 9-11 for a ride on the train and to celebrate the beloved blue engine's 65th birthday party.

uring the event, children and their families can ride behind a 15-ton replica of Thomas, the star of the children's TV series "Thomas & Friends."Tickets include a 25-minute ride along the Delaware River behind the iconic engine and a chance to meet and get their picture taken with Thomas character Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway on the Island of Sodor.

Kids also can get temporary tattoos of Island of Sodor residents and watch Thomas videos.Visit the Imagination Station where children can build with Mega Bloks and do Thomas-related arts and crafts. Also included is storytelling, live music, a hay bale maze, a model train exhibit, a bouncy castle, a petting zoo and a special display celebrating 65 years of Thomas.

There will be food for sale at the site. Parking is free and free buses will run from three parking lots continuously.

The train pulled by Thomas leaves hourly 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $18 per person for ages 2 and up. Info: 866-468-7630, or http://www.877trainride.com.

CELEBRATE THE FOURTH WITH PIP Mayor Ed Pawlowski will proclaim Pip the Mouse the official Mouse of Allentown on Sunday during the "Let Freedom Ring" National Bell Ringing Ceremony beginning at 1:15 p.m.

The festivities kick off at 10 a.m. with a reading of the Declaration of Independence at Zion's Reformed Church, 622 W. Hamilton St., Allentown. During the service, the text of the Declaration will be read by different people throughout the sanctuary. Children will get a free tri-cornered hat for the boys or a mob cap for the girls.

At 11:30 a.m., Pip will host "America's Birthday Party" at the Liberty Bell Shrine Museum, located at the church. The party will include children's Colonial games and crafts. Kids can color a picture of the Liberty Bell for a coloring contest and sign a large copy of the Declaration of Independence. There will be vegetables, fruit, cheese, crackers, chips, pretzels and birch beer. Families also can make a cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A birthday cake for America will be served.

Children can wave flags and play instruments as they join Pip and the Flutations in a patriotic parade at 1 p.m. in anticipation of the Bell Ringing Ceremony at 1:15 p.m. when Pennsylvania's official replica of the Liberty Bell will be rung 13 times in honor of the 13 original colonies.

RED WHITE AND ZOOEnjoy the outdoors with a red white & zoo celebration at Lehigh Valley Zoo Saturday July 3. Learn about the zoo residents with zookeeper talks at noon at the otter enclosure and 2 p.m. at the camel compound. Watch animal enrichment activities throughout the day at the kangaroos, lories, prairie dogs and goats. All activities are included in admission of $7. Info: www.lvzoo.org

SOCCER AND FREE FLAG TEESWordl Cup fever has everyone thinking about soccer. Why not check out our local National Premier Soccer League Team and get a free American flag t-shirt. The first 150 fans at the FC Sonic game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday July 3 will get a free shirt courtesy of Independence IT. The Sonic take on the Pocono Snow at Ulrich Stadium at Lehigh university in Bethlehem. Tickets are $5 and $2 for seniors or youth. Info: www.fcsonic.org.

FREE YOUNG PEOPLES CONCERTS AT THE MANN The Mann Center for the Performing Arts kicks off the 12th season of its free Young People's Concert Series with “A Global Kaleidoscope.”The first performance is Songs from Our Children at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 7 with the Philadelphia Boys Choir and the Philadelphia Sinfonia Youth Orchestra.

Kenya ALIVE! featuring the Jabali African Acrobats and Jabali Afrika - Beat Keepers will perform at 11 a.m. July 14. The show will feature dancers and musicians from Kenya in a theatrical extravaganze

Fiddlin' In Philly will present the Hunt Family with world ranked step dancing and champion fiddling at 11 a.m. July 21.

Rhapsody of Rock presents the The Rock School for Dance Education with classical ballet, modern dance, rhythmic gymnastics and urban hip-hop moves at 11 a.m. Aug. 3.

CATS PAJAMAS KICK OFF COLONIAL KIDS SERIES The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville will kick off its kids series at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday July 6 with the Cat's Pajamas, a band that combines dance, puppets, props and costumes with rocking music.The series will include:Mama Mac who started singing while delivering pasta to preschoolers. Her show includes styles ranging from rock to country to reggae and will be 10:30 a.m. July 13.

Recess Monkey is an an acclaimed children's music band from Seattle, WA that creates fun pop for the elemnetary set. They play at 10:30 a.m. July 20.

East Meets West is a puppet show of string puppets, hand puppets and rod puppets, featuring both Eastern and Western characters, blended together by Hua Hua Zhang. The show is 10:30 a.m. July 27.

John Cassidy holds several Guinness World Records for balloon sculpting and is a crazy personality. He performs at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 10.

Silly Rockabilly is a live concert for kids featuring the historic music of the earliest rock' n' roll. The show is ayt 10:30 a.m. Aug. 17.

In "Beppe's Elephant" an Italian circus artist dreams of the impossible, and believes he can be the first to train an elephant to walk on a tight wire. Find out what Beppe does as circus arts, high wire, masks, puppetry, video, animation, and music combine at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 24. Advance tickets are $7 and $8 at the door. Info: thecolonialtheatre.com.

Two Freddy Award winners had their Broadway debut Monday when Chelsea Reed, 17, of Palmer Township and Rob Gerold, 17, of Blairstown, NJ, took the stage of New York’s Marquis Theater for the opening number of the National High School Music Awards.

Reed and Gerold, who won best actress and actor at the Freddy Awards at Easton’s State Theatre in May, competed against 42 other regional high school theater award winners at the national Jimmy Awards.

Although neither teen won the top honor, Reed, a graduate of Easton Are High School, says they “took away a lot” from the competition.

“It feels really strange to say it was my Broadway debut,” she says. “ It was so much fun. It was indescribable.”

“It was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” says Gerold, a senior at North Warren Regional High School. “It was pretty spectacular. That was the largest stage I have ever performed on.”

Reed and Gerold spent five days in New York rehearsing for the awards show for which they had to learn four numbers.

Have your kids ever eaten fruit roll-ups? My son has on occasion and loves the sticky cellophane wrapped strips, although I never imagined they were even remotely healthy.

Now a New York woman is suing General Mills for misleading consumers that the popular kid-marketed dehydrated fruit snacks are healthy.

According to the class-action suit filed Tuesday, General Mills failed to properly disclose that its fruit products, including Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit by the Foot and Fruit Gushers, contain partially hydrogenated oil.The complaint said the company used “false and misleading” marketing over the last six years that the snacks were “nutritious” and “healthy to consume.”

The plaintiff is described as a “life-long consumer” of General Mills products.

I did a little research on the seemingly harmless snacks. It seems fruit roll-ups were inspired by a Lebanese confection called armadeen, that consists of a thick paste made from dried apricots. The idea was introduced in the US in 1886 by Joray and who stills makes a version today from real fruit.

Fast forward to General Mills who started making the roll-ups in the 1970s and marketted them to kids with ads during Saturday morning cartoons as an alternative way to get fruit. TV ads boasted “real fruit and fun, rolled up in one.”

So what is in fruit roll-ups? There is some fruit content, as well as maltodextrin, sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, citric acid, sodium citrate, pectin, monoglycerides, malic acid, ascorbic acid, dye and flavoring. Yum!

The nutritional breakdown of the “fruit” roll-ups shows most varieties contain about 10 percent of the recommended vitamin C. Some flavors contain no vitamins at all. And some flavors contain as much as 55 mg of sodium.

However this lawsuit seem a little disingenuous. Did this women REALLY think this was a healthy option for her kids?

The bottomline for me is parents have to be informed consumers. I never believe anything advertisements say. My son doesn’t eat a lot of this type of product because I try to encourage him to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, always a good option for both him - and his parents! And yes, he does get the occasional junk food.